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Clean Water in Vietnam
Introduction Vietnam is a country that has to struggle with contaminated water. Clean drinking water is a rare thing. In some parts of Vietnam only one out of three people have access to clean water. Diseases like diarrhea and infections are consequences from drinking contaminated water. : One reason for that is the poverty of the population and that they can't afford proper water systems but also the lack of information is a big problem. Why is contaminated water so dangerous? Contaminated water is not only dangerous for the ground water. Dirty water is the perfect habitat for dangerous mosquitoes, snails and other insects which lay their eggs in it. Moreover, bacteria accrete which cause diseases when people get in contact with them. Especially, children are affected because they often play in the dirty water or take a bath in it. Effects on children Especially children have to suffer under the consequences of contaminated water. The incidence of diseases like diarrhea and even a high rate of child mortality are the consequences. Around 44 percent of Vietnamese children are infected with whipworms, hookworms or roundworms, according to recent estimates. Partly as a consequence, Viet Nam is maintaining one of the highest rates of child malnutrition in East Asia. more How to provide help? Organizations like UNICEF or Helvetas develop systems to provide clean water in schools and to make sure that the ground water doesn’t get contaminated. Installation of restrooms and water connections: The installation of lavatories avoid that excrements could contaminate the ground water. Moreover, it improves the sanitation and prevents the spreading of diseases. The goal is to get the contamination under control and of course to improve the hygiene. Especially, in schools where dieseases are easily spreaded and the rate of infections are really high. Installation of a well:' ' That helps people to get access to clean water. Supply trash bins: :: - Avoids that toxic substances contaminate the ground water. :: ::Supply of rain barrels: Rain barrels collect the rain water from the roof. This water can be used for the bio sand filter. :: :: :: Bio-sand filters: According to Huisman '"No other single process can effect such an improvement in the physical, chemical and acteriological quality of surface waters." Bio-sand filters are the easiest and cheapest way to clean water. All the materials are found locally which means it is easy to maintain. It is made with local skilled workers and the families themselves. Here's how they work #Unsafe water is poured in. #The diffusion plate slows the flow rate of the water and keeps out twigs, leaves etc. #The Biological layer traps and feeds on the bacteria and contaminants. #Water is further filtered through the fine sand, coarse sand and then gravel – removing contaminants that cause odor, cloudiness or bad taste. #Turn on the tap- and safe water comes out. How it is made: #Oil the mould #Bolt it together #Mix the cement #Pour the cement in #Fit a pipe #Pound it to get rid of air bubbles #Let it see #Return the next morning #Unbolt it #Return 1 week later #Carefully mix the sand to the perfect coarseness #Pour 3 layers of sand in it #Fit a diffusion plate #Make sure flow rate is just right Education: Most of the population doesn’t know the connection between contaminated water and diseases. They don’t know that diseases like diarrhea are caused by that water. Moreover, they don’t know that they even contaminate the water by themselves through garbage and lack of hygiene. Therefore, organizations like UNICEF, Rotes Kreuz etc. educate teachers in schools who can then provide information to the population. Moreover, they hope that if we educate the young population right away they can go home and teach their parents. Simple things like washing their hands after using the lavatory can improve the hygiene and prevent the spreading of diseases. Understanding why lavatories are important and that toxic liquids can actually contaminate the drinking water can help to prevent that, too. How can we help? Of course it comes to a question of money when you want to change something in a developing country where the average living expense is $1/day per person. These people cannot afford the installation of water supplies and systems by themselves. So, we could help with donations. Installation of a lavatory: $ 120 Installation of a lavatory compartment: $145 Supply of a rain barrel: $ 24 In the past few years Vietnam has become more and more attractive to tourists. So, hotels are built and more and more tourists come to the country. If you are aware of the problems that this country has with clean water, it is already helpful if you treat their ressources appropriately. That leads back to the idea of sustainable water management. "To achieve sustainability, there must be a rethinking of what we consider a basic need. It is common in our society to say that we need a given resource, but how much of it do we really need to use? Also, how do we decide what the basic needs of our ecosystem and the organism living within it are? Defining what constitutes a basic need is perhaps the greatest challenge to adopting sustainable practices in our daily lives, as interpretations of need vary widely from region to region, village to village and even from person to person." more That doesn't just apply to Vietnam but to our behaviour towards ressources in general. Problems ' Beside the fact of financing problems there are several facts that make it difficult to install a good water supply: ''The terrain A lot of houses are built on a terrain which isn’t suitable for creating water connections. The houses which are built on that terrain wouldn't stand it if we would install underground water connections. Structure The fact that the houses are built without a clear structure makes it harder to create water connections to all the houses. Garbage and erosions Garbage and erosions can create a blockage of the canalization. Moreover, the lack of information of how to deal with garbage properly makes it harder to prevent the contamination of water. '''Summary Water contamination and the disability to have access to clean water is still a big problem in Vietnam. In order to change that, a lot of money is needed but a poor country like Vietnam doesn't have that money. So, they are really dependend of the help of foreign countries. Moreover, the lack of information plays a major role, too. Last but not least, the question is that even if they understand the consequences of their actions and know what they have to do in order to get clean water. They often don't know how to do it. So, the question will be how long it will take to really make a difference. ::